Jeremy Lin Says That Houston Rockets Coaches Lost Faith in Him

Last year was a rough experience for Houston Rockets guard Jeremy Lin. After he grabbed headlines with his sudden great performances with the New York Knicks, he signed with the Rockets. His signing signified that he would be given the keys drive Houston as the leader. The acquisition of James Harden changed that and Lin saw himself criticized multiple times last season for subpar play. Lin explained those struggles while speaking at a youth conference in Taiwan. Lin gave an assessment of his first season in Houston, claiming that Rockets coaches lost confidence in him due to his inconsistent play:

"I became so obsessed with becoming a great basketball player ... trying to be Linsanity, being this phenomenon that took the NBA by storm," Lin told a crowd of approximately 20,000 at the Dream Big, Be Yourself youth conference in Taipei, Taiwan. The coaches were losing faith in me; basketball fans were making fun of me. I was supposed to be joyful and free, but what I experienced was the opposite. I had no joy, and I felt no freedom."

Lin explained how he got through it and what he learned during that rough time:

"The one thing I learned was how empty fame and worldly success really are. ... The desire for success never stopped," Lin said. "If the voice that you listen to the most isn't God's voice, then eventually you will experience that emptiness, confusion and misery that I felt when I listened to the voice of Linsanity."

It's good to see Lin turn a negative like last season into a positive. Lin's role will still be important in Houston's scheme with the addition of Dwight Howard. He might not have the ball in his hands as much, but he will still be a key factor in how far this Rockets team will go in the next couple of years. Hopefully he works on that spot-up jumper for next season.